to Magic Side.”
“Perfect.”
I followed him down the stairs but paused briefly by Mac’s door.
He stopped and turned back, raising a brow at me.
“I’m going to check on Mac and Seraphia.” I knocked lightly, then stuck my head in. “Hello, you two. Are you all right?”
Mac and Seraphia sat at Mac’s table, their heads bent over cups of tea. They looked pale and weak.
I hurried inside and dropped into a chair beside them. “You guys look like hell.”
“I’m fine.” Mac’s voice was faintly raspy. “Eve is coming up with more of the potion that holds off the effects of this curse.”
“Is she any closer to a cure?”
“Not yet.”
Grey was standing in the doorway. I felt his presence like the warmth of a summer day and turned to him. “Do you have any contacts who could figure out what’s wrong with them?”
“Not in town, no. But Ms. Cross may know of someone. She works at the Order, and they have access to all varieties of magic.”
“Nevaeh Cross?” Seraphia asked.
“The same.”
“I’ve heard of her. Reportedly an excellent scholar.” Seraphia’s face was wan. “Did she find a copy of the book?”
“She did.”
“Thank fates.” Seraphia’s eyes brightened at the news. “I’m dying to know what history has been hidden.”
“We’ll find it.” I turned back to Grey. “If there’s someone at the Order who can help with Mac and Seraphia’s condition, what will they need?”
“A hair from each of them will do.” Eve’s voice sounded from behind Grey. “Sorry. I was eavesdropping.”
He moved aside to let her pass, and she slipped into the room. The raven followed her, its eyes as black as her dress. Her peasant-style skirt flowed around her ankles, glittering with black beads.
She handed me a bag. “Potion bombs. Your familiar let me know you were headed out on a job.”
“Thank you.” I took it gratefully and added it to the messenger bag with the book.
“There are scissors in the kitchen drawer,” Mac said. “By the sink.”
While Eve gave Seraphia and Mac more of the potions she’d concocted, I retrieved the scissors. Quickly, Mac and Seraphia each removed a tiny lock of hair.
“I hope that works,” Eve said, “because I still haven’t figured out what’s in the curse. I’m going to the Sorcerers’ Guild and Witches’ Guild today to see if anyone there can help.”
“Let me know if you find anything, and I’ll do likewise.” I gave Mac and Seraphia worried glances. “Take it easy today, okay?”
Mac saluted. “Cartoons and ice cream, no problem.”
Despite the worry that still tugged at me, I laughed.
Grey and I left, and he led me toward the city gate I used most often.
“Are we headed to the Haunted Hound?” I asked.
“Yes. They have a portal that leads to Magic Side.”
As I walked beside him, I couldn’t help but remember the dream that had been so terrible.
“Are you all right?” he asked, noticing my silence.
“I’m fine.”
We reached the pub a few minutes later, arriving at the back of the establishment.
“This way.” Grey headed down the dark hallway to the main part of the pub. “The portal is in the other side of the building.”
We passed in front of the bar, and I gave Quinn a wave.
“You all right?” he asked. “How are Mac and Seraphia?”
“I’m fine. They’re not. We’re headed to Chicago to find a cure.”
“Good luck. Keep me updated.”
“Will do.”
He watched us with a worried expression. Grey led me down a hallway identical to the other, with shelves full of liquor bottles and an unmarked door tucked into the corner at the end.
We stepped through, and the ether sucked me and spun me through space, spitting me out in a large open square. On either side of us, skyscrapers rose toward the pale blue sky. It was earlier in the day here, the sun lower in the sky. The light glinted off the buildings and the massive lake to the north.
I heard the roar of water and felt a fine mist on my skin. I turned and gasped. Behind me, an enormous water sculpture looped overhead, floating in the air like a giant ring. Water dripped down, and a dozen screaming, happy kids played underneath.
Grey caught my momentary surprise. “That’s the Rain Bridge. It’s the partner of the Cloud Gate in downtown Chicago. What the humans know of as The Bean.”
“Wow.” I spun in a circle, taking in the city. “I’ve never been to America.”
Grey smiled. “There are a lot of beautiful places here.”
“What body of water is that?” I pointed to the glittering expanse. There was no